Computer Science is the study of information and computation, in both natural and engineered systems. It comprises a vast range of scientific and engineering endeavour and has enormous economic and social impact. Therefore, awarding a PhD degree within the MAP Doctoral Program requires both the development of a scientifically informed professional attitude and the presentation of an original and significant contribution.
The programme is structured to train students as researchers with a well-developed all-round knowledge of Computer Science, in-depth knowledge of a specialist area, as well as research and communication skills.
Therefore, the first year of studies is organised as follows
First-year
Semester 1
Foundations of Computing (5 credits)
one elective course.Programming Paradigms (5 credits)
one elective course.Information Technologies (5 credits)
one elective course.Thematic Option (5 credits)
one elective course in one of the 3 main areas above (Foundations of Computing, Programming Paradigms or Information Technologies).Seminar (10 credits)
which includes visits to MAP Research Centers and Laboratories and the development of small research projects.
Semester 2
Thematic Seminar (5 credits)
a set of modules and mini-courses on advanced topics in Informatics research supported by Laboratories and Research Centers associated to MAP-i.Free Option (5 credits)
optional course specially designed for each student to cover particular needs on background studies.External Option (5 credits)
a discipline on a different PhD Program offered by the MAP Universities on a relevant, but different area (e.g., project management, economics, basic sciences, portuguese cultural studies)
Thesis Planning (15 credits)
which includes the presentation of a thesis theme and research plan.
Second and third years
The second and third years are dedicated to research and thesis preparation. Students are supposed to participate in the annual doctoral symposium to present a progress report to the monitoring committee in a public session.
Part-time students take just a 50% workload, so for them the programme is twice as long as the full-time schedule.